Face to Face with a Throat Cancer Victim

September 16, 2009

I was at the doctor’s office for a routine check-up this morning. During such occasions I am thankful for a connected world that allows me to check my email, play games and read news all on one device. However, during this particular visit, I was distracted by an “electronic” sound coming from someone in the office. The sound reminded me of the robots from the Transformers movies. When I looked up, I realized that the sound I was hearing was the sound of a throat cancer victim using his machine to speak.

It has been hours since I saw this patient, and I have not been able to shake the image from my mind and the sound of the electronic voice is still making the rounds in my head. No matter the cause, having to use a machine to talk is a heavy price to pay. This was my first encounter with a cancer victim using a speech aid. It reminded me of the picture to the right that I saw in the Boston subways regarding throat cancer.

Living in the Transformers age, I wish it was just a robot. Not because I don’t have sympathy for the man I saw, but because human beings should not have to endure a cancer stricken life. We have ample knowledge which can help prevent or at least detect oral cancer when it can be cured.